You may have heard rumours about the institutional crisis in Belgium, which began after the 2007 elections and dragged on for more than a year. For a brief period the former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt regained control of the federal government, only to be succeeded by the winner of the elections, Yves Leterme – who had to resign a few months later. Van Rompuy was then awoken from his hibernation and asked to lead the country.

How did Van Rompuy succeed where his younger party colleague Leterme failed? The answer is simple. Leterme still had ambitions of reforming Belgium and adapting it to face the challenges ahead. Van Rompuy, on the other hand, as an elderly statesman, soon understood that the most this government could do was exist. Gone were the grand promises that led to his party's election victory. Perhaps the loftiest thing he has done is to make the public acquainted with the rules of haiku.

But Van Rompuy is an honourable man. To survive as a PM, he had to discard all those promises made. The institutional crisis was never solved, but put away in a sealed box. Now, though, it has started to smell.

Obviously, the economic crisis hasn't helped. It has hit Belgium hard and measures must be taken to deal with the consequences, such as rising unemployment. However, while Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern part of the country, has a high percentage of elderly unemployed, Wallonia, the French-speaking south, has a problem with twentysomethings who can't find a job. These problems require different solutions but the French-speaking federal minister has no qualms about imposing a strategy which will only benefit Wallonia – and even obstructs Flemish unemployment measures.

Meanwhile, Flanders is trying to revive Wallonia's economy by transferring at least €6bn a year to the south (that's quite a bit of money – about €1,000 per person). Some say the figure is closer to €10bn, but lack of financial transparency is another typically Belgian phenomenon. Anyway, nothing is asked in return. The money vanishes into thin air, and Wallonia remains one of the poorest regions in Europe with unemployment rates of 15%, rising to more than 20% in many areas.

Instead of dealing with these major problems, the French-speaking part is only concerned with expanding bilingual Brussels to its surrounding Flemish municipalities due to a rising number of French-speaking inhabitants. Can you imagine India claiming some parts of London because of the large number of immigrants in those quarters? Wallonia has never reconciled itself to the idea that it had to lay down its claims on the entire country during the course of the 20th century. From the Belgian secession from the Netherlands in 1830 until well into the past century the Dutch language was considered inferior; Belgium (Flanders included) was governed solely in French and the Flemish weren't allowed to speak their mother tongue in educational and military institutions, nor in politics and public offices.

All Flemish proposals for a more decentralised policy are countered with a plain on n'est demandeur de rien (we ask nothing) by Wallonia. The only thing Belgium's PM can do, is take note of this standstill. If you have any ambitions to become the prime minister of this country, first practise being a lame duck. Just ask Herman Van Rompuy. Oh yes, Yves Leterme has succeeded him, having abandoned all promises to thoroughly reform this old country. But soon, the smell will become unbearable to all. It is then, dear foreign friends, that we will come to you and ask you to recognise the independence of Flanders and Wallonia. And we will be very glad to support any strong candidate for the presidency of the EU, if you have one at hand.